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Showing results for strongman.
Definitions

strongman

[strawng-man, strong-] / ˈstrɔŋˌmæn, ˈstrɒŋ- /
NOUN
dictator
Synonyms
STRONGEST
autocrat despot tyrant
STRONG
absolutist adviser authoritarian boss chief commander disciplinarian leader magnate mogul oligarch oppressor ringleader totalitarian tycoon usurper
WEAK
Big Brother man on horseback slavedriver
Antonyms
STRONG
employee follower worker

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This doesn’t read as strongman politics to them,” she said.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

In fact he is the opposite — a domineering strongman who seeks to bully everyone around him into compliance.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Inside the ornate former presidential palace, photographs and oral testimony detail the grinding poverty and ingrained corruption of the dictatorship of Cuba's then-military strongman, Fulgencio Batista.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

It remains divided between a UN-recognised government based in Tripoli and an eastern administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026

In Africa he’s just another strongman from the history books.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah